I have just about a week and a half left and am alternatively soaking up all the olive oil, espresso and wine that I can, and counting the days to seeing Kevin and Queso again...
I took many photos during my wine tasting trip through Tuscany, more specifically at the picturesque Castello di Brollio, home of the Baron of Ricasoli. The original Baron was the first prime minister of Italy and worked hard for the unification in the late 1800's. His house was really cool! The house is still occupied by the Ricasoli family but they use it mainly for entertaining now.
The Baron made his fortune in wine and, in addition to being a diplomat and politician, was really into the natural sciences. Through chemistry, he made the "perfect"wine which is known as Chianti Classico. (I learned last wine tasting that there are no chianti grapes, chianti is a mix of different kinds but must meet very strict standards.) The tour guide went on and on about Chianti Classico so you can imagine that we were all surprised to find out that we were not allowed to taste that one!! We did try the second best wines which were a Torricella (08) and a Casalferro (05). Honestly I didn't love either of them, the red was very very dry and the white was super oaky. It was interesting to do the tasting,
though.
Next stop was Montalcino, a much less formal and more fun tasting in a local wine shop. Brunnello del Montalcino is a very famous wine from this area that is aged at least 6 years before sale. It's the kind of wine that you buy now and keep for twenty years to drink for a super special occasion. There was a 250,000 Euro bottle in the shop from the 1950's! When I get back home I want to get some of this wine to save for a special occasion. 2004 is a good year to look for if you want to do the same. This is a red wine and it tasted really good - nice balance of sweet and dry - it's known as a table wine because it goes with many things.
Montalcino is the location of a medieval fortress and we climbed to the top of it. A fortress is basically a really big courtyard surrounded by incredibly high walls, with turrets to look out at the surrounding landscape. I thought it was a bit of poor planning to do the (very generous) wine tasting before climbing all the way to the top! Luckily no one fell off and we all made it back to the bus.
At last, I found some pizza that I really like. It was actually focaccia with a bunch of stuff on top - prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, fresh tomatoes, arugula and basil. Up until today I was sure that Brooklyn had Italy beat for pizza but this changed everything.
And for those interested, here's the recipe for the Foaccia Genovese. We made ours in a heart shape. It's very easy and delicious.
16 oz All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tsp Sugar
1 oz. Brewer's Yeast (the block, not the powder)
1 oz.+ Really good olive oil (you will want a lot more)
Preheat oven to 428 degrees F. (This is the conversion from 220 Celsius).
Dilute the yeast in about 1 1/3 cups warm water, add sugar. In a big bowl add the flour and make a well, adding the salt and yeasty water to the center. Work the flour to form a dough. Use your hands. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 min. Oil a baking sheet and spread the dough out on the sheet. Allow to rise for 40 minutes. Make dimples with your fingertips and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Top with additional olive oil and salt.
I took many photos during my wine tasting trip through Tuscany, more specifically at the picturesque Castello di Brollio, home of the Baron of Ricasoli. The original Baron was the first prime minister of Italy and worked hard for the unification in the late 1800's. His house was really cool! The house is still occupied by the Ricasoli family but they use it mainly for entertaining now.
The Baron made his fortune in wine and, in addition to being a diplomat and politician, was really into the natural sciences. Through chemistry, he made the "perfect"wine which is known as Chianti Classico. (I learned last wine tasting that there are no chianti grapes, chianti is a mix of different kinds but must meet very strict standards.) The tour guide went on and on about Chianti Classico so you can imagine that we were all surprised to find out that we were not allowed to taste that one!! We did try the second best wines which were a Torricella (08) and a Casalferro (05). Honestly I didn't love either of them, the red was very very dry and the white was super oaky. It was interesting to do the tasting,
though.
Next stop was Montalcino, a much less formal and more fun tasting in a local wine shop. Brunnello del Montalcino is a very famous wine from this area that is aged at least 6 years before sale. It's the kind of wine that you buy now and keep for twenty years to drink for a super special occasion. There was a 250,000 Euro bottle in the shop from the 1950's! When I get back home I want to get some of this wine to save for a special occasion. 2004 is a good year to look for if you want to do the same. This is a red wine and it tasted really good - nice balance of sweet and dry - it's known as a table wine because it goes with many things.
Montalcino is the location of a medieval fortress and we climbed to the top of it. A fortress is basically a really big courtyard surrounded by incredibly high walls, with turrets to look out at the surrounding landscape. I thought it was a bit of poor planning to do the (very generous) wine tasting before climbing all the way to the top! Luckily no one fell off and we all made it back to the bus.
At last, I found some pizza that I really like. It was actually focaccia with a bunch of stuff on top - prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, fresh tomatoes, arugula and basil. Up until today I was sure that Brooklyn had Italy beat for pizza but this changed everything.
And for those interested, here's the recipe for the Foaccia Genovese. We made ours in a heart shape. It's very easy and delicious.
16 oz All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tsp Sugar
1 oz. Brewer's Yeast (the block, not the powder)
1 oz.+ Really good olive oil (you will want a lot more)
Preheat oven to 428 degrees F. (This is the conversion from 220 Celsius).
Dilute the yeast in about 1 1/3 cups warm water, add sugar. In a big bowl add the flour and make a well, adding the salt and yeasty water to the center. Work the flour to form a dough. Use your hands. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 min. Oil a baking sheet and spread the dough out on the sheet. Allow to rise for 40 minutes. Make dimples with your fingertips and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Top with additional olive oil and salt.
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